11. Andy Bell (Erasure)
In 1985 Andy Bell became the lead singer of English synth-pop duo Erasure when he responded to a newspaper advertisement by lyricist/keyboardist and founding member of Depeche Mode, Vince Clarke. Clarke had recently departed from Depeche Mode and was looking for a vocalist for a new project. Initially the band struggled to find success, but it was their fourth single “Sometimes” that brought them major recognition in the UK and from 1986 to 2007, Erasure achieved 34 Top 40 hits in the UK. Their singles “A Little Respect,” “Chains of Love,” and “Always” were major hits in the USA. To date the band has sold over 25 million albums worldwide. In December 2004, Bell publicly announced that he is HIV-positive, something he said he has known since June 1998 when he came down with a case of pneumonia. He has since taken part in numerous charity recordings to fund money for AIDS and HIV education and research. In 2005 Bell released his first solo album Electric Blue collaborating with Jake Shears of Scissor Sisters. Bell participated in both the 2007 and 2008 True Colors Tours. In June 2010, Bell released his second solo album, Non-Stop. Bell has been together with his partner Paul Hickey for over 20 years.
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